1. Why Is SEO Important For Web Design & You? Matt Boaman (MU ‘07) SEO Engineer/Programmer

2. What is SEO? “SEO” or Search Engine Optimization is the process of getting a website to rank on the first page of Google, Bing, Yahoo! and other major search engines. The search engine result pages (or “SERPs”) are constantly changing, based on the keyword that you enter in the search engine.

3. Search Engines – Market Share %

4. What do Google SERPs look like? RED RED – Google Carousel ORANGE ORANGE – AdWords GREEN GREEN – Knowledge Graph BLUE BLUE – Organic SEO

5. Why do search engines matter?

6. Why does SEO matter? It’s a growing discipline in our digital world, and if you have a website, it’s a necessity to generate leads and increase sales! How many in here still use a phone book? If you are a business owner relying on our generation finding you through a phone book, you’re DEAD!

7. How can a website compete? Search engines rank web pages not web sites. That’s not to say the entire website isn’t important! Each page of the website should focus clearly on one thematic topic. There shouldn’t be visual clutter. Avoid attempting to “shoe-horn” all of the ideas across at once on a single page.

8. Search Engine Algorithms For “Organic SEO” The algorithms are constantly changing! Google made 665 updates to their core algorithm in 2013. Google’s core algorithm is a collection of 215 variables with weighted factoring. The specific variables are not public information, but an estimated list of 200 exists: http://backlinko.com/google-ranking-factors What is effective today, might not be effective tomorrow!

9. Prepare Yourself! It’s not like Field Of Dreams, where you can “just build it and they will come!” If you build a great website from the beginning, you will be rewarded.

10. Be Prepared! Google Algorithm Updates: Caffeine, Panda, Penguin, Pigeon, ???

11. Search Engine Algorithms For “Organic SEO” Two Main Categories of Factors 1.On Page Optimization » Factors you can ALWAYS control on your website 2. Off Page Optimization » Factors you can SOMETIMES control like links, social shares, paid media.

12. On Page Factors 1.Meta Information 2.Headlines 3.Content 4.Internal Linking Structure 5.Filename Structure 6.Click-through Rates 7.Dwell Time 8.Design

13. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Title Tags This is a title! Meta Descriptions Meta Keywords

14. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Title Tags: -Each page should contain a unique title tag with a maximum length of 482 pixels. -Google used to allow 65 characters in the title tag before it starts cutting off in the search results, but now from recent CSS changes it is based on the number of pixels. -Format matters for display. This is the piece of information that is used as the clickable link to your website in the search results. -Google values the title tag from importance of left to right. Therefore, the keyword phrase (main product or service) or what the page is about should come first. -Use vertical line separators, “|” or hyphens “–” to separate your keyword phrases. Vertical line separators are preferred to conserve space. -If the business targets a specific location like “Lancaster” include that next. If it services a variety of areas, don’t include it. -If there is room left, include the company name at the far right.

15. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Format: Product | Location | Company Example: Plumbers | Lancaster, PA | Joe’s Plumbing Outcome: The vertical separators help keep the ideas separated, while including the keywords and the company name in there. When you search for a keyword phrase, it will sometimes highlight specific words in the title tags that contain the words you typed. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=plumbers+lancaster+pa

16. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Meta Descriptions: -Each page should contain a unique meta description with one or two sentences, with a maximum length of 928 pixels. -Google used to allow 156 characters in the meta description. Like the title tag, it was changed and now starts cutting off in the search results. -Format matters for display. This is NOT a ranking factor but will help tremendously in the click-through rates and getting across your unique message to the potential customer. -Start the sentence with the company name, since lexically it’s the first thing the searcher notices. Include the product or service that the page is about. If the business targets a specific location like “Lancaster” include that as well. -Including a short call to action with a phone number can help too.

17. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Format: Example: Outcome: The brand is located first and the call to action of 24/7 services along with the local phone number to get a free quote may greater incentivize a click-through to the website. When you search for a keyword phrase, it will usually highlight specific words in the meta descriptions that contain the words you typed. https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=plumbers+lancaster+pa

18. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Meta Keywords: The meta keywords tag isn’t used by most search engines anymore. Google ONLY uses it for the “News” results. If used, the keywords tag should be filled in with 10-15 relevant keyword phrases. They do not need to be unique per page. Example:

19. On Page Factor #1: Meta Information Tip: Use Screaming Frog to locate pages with missing, duplicate, or incomplete meta information. – Download & Install Screaming Frog http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/ http://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/ – Open the tool and run the URL by clicking “Start” – Review each tab labeled for “Page Titles”, “Meta Descriptions” and “Meta Keywords” – Use the Filter dropdown to narrow down issues for information that’s too long or missing – Correct the pages that have problems

20. On Page Factor #2: Headlines Headlines are headings for the page and other sections of copy on the page (,,, etc) There should only be one tag per page. Both search engines and visitors use this to laser focus on what the page is about. It helps a website visitor immediately determine they have found what they are looking for. If there is more than one tag, search engines do not know which piece of information is more important! The tag should: A) Include a keyword about the page B) Be informative C) Be well written to engage users

21. On Page Factor #2: Headlines When looking for something, have you ever found that you got to a website and you had to scroll and scroll and then you gave up? You only have a few seconds to capture the user’s interest or they will bounce back to the search results and go to a competitors’ website. Use and tags as headings to break up content on the page into subsections. Tip: Use Screaming Frog to check for missing tags or pages that contain more than one. Review the “H1” tab and investigate the occurrences column.

22. On Page Factor #2: Headlines Bad Example Homepage We’re awesome. Give us a call. Good Example How The #1 Plumber In Lancaster, PA Can Help You! Joe's Plumbing offers exceptional plumbing services in a variety of areas. We have the best... Broken Pipes If you've got problems with.... Clogged Drains Whether your drain is clogged or....

23. On Page Factor #3: Content Make sure that the content on the page is unique to the website, and also unique to the web. You can scan website pages for FREE using Copyscape: http://www.copyscape.com Use Google’s FREE Keyword Research Tool to help discover keyword phrases that people are looking for and write your content to include those keywords. You can check out the tool here: https://adwords.google.com/keywordplanner Include a variation of keyword phrases in the content. With Google’s Panda algorithm, you no longer can repetitively use the same keyword over and over again. Make sure that there is content above the fold. “Above the fold” means that content is visible on the screen without requiring you to scroll down. (Many times there are header images, JavaScript sliders, galleries, or other items and visually the visitor might not perceive the page is relevant.)

24. On Page Factor #3: Content Make sure that the content is broken up into sections by using headers (,, etc) when necessary. By using headings, it makes it easier for the reader to quickly scan the page for relevant information. Ideally in a perfect world, each page on the website should contain at least 250- 500 words. Tip: In Screaming Frog under the “Internal” tab there is a column labeled “Word Count” that you can use to find the smallest pages on your website. Within the content, link to other pages of your website where applicable. Wikipedia is a great example and has become so widely adopted because you can easily traverse the site from the interlinking strategy they employ. Wikipedia Strive to make sure your grammar is correct and there aren’t any misspellings on the website. Not only will your visitors’ notice, but Google can now accurately detect this and it will lower your overall ranking power.

25. On Page Factor #4: Internal Linking Structure Make sure to include important pages in the navigation. If customers can’t find the page, how important do you really think search engines will perceive it to be? In shopping cart or large database driven websites, make sure to include breadcrumbs. If you are on a product page and can’t get back to the parent category, it makes it difficult for search engines and users to traverse the site. Include contextual links within the copy from one page to another. This encourages and allows the visitor to more easily access other pages on your website. Use meaningful keyword phrases as the anchor text to interlink pages on the website. Don’t use “click here!” Example: For Joe’s Plumbing, a link might use “view our plumbing services” or something that conveys meaning of what the page will be about when you arrive.

26. On Page Factor #4: Internal Linking Structure Make sure there aren’t any broken links throughout the website. A broken link is a link to a non-existent page and returns a 404 status code in the browser. Make sure there aren’t any pages that have programming errors and don’t load correctly. A programming error returns a 500 status code in the browser. Tip: Use Screaming Frog to make sure that there aren’t any broken links or URLs with programming errors on the website. 1. Review the “Response Codes” tab for status codes of 404 and 500. 2. Click on the URL that has one of these status codes. 3. Change the bottom navigation to “In Links” to see all of the pages that link to the problematic page. 4. Fix the links or fix the page that is having problems.

27. On Page Factor #4: Internal Linking Structure

28. On Page Factor #5: Filename Structure When possible, a static URL that you can set is better than a dynamic one. – It’s informative – It’s usually shorter (and easier to share) – Less confusion/problems when interlinking – Keywords are highlighted in the URL in the SERPs Example: http://www.joesplumbing.com/plumbing-services.php http://www.joesplumbing.com/page-824587.php?ID=7&value=plumbing

29. On Page Factor #5: Filename Structure When possible, an image filename you can set is better than a dynamic one. – It’s helpful for search engines as they can’t read images* – It’s beneficial for developers when browsing the folder structure – Less confusion when reusing the same image in another place on the website Example: http://www.joesplumbing.com/images/joe-helping-a-plumbing-customer.jpg http://www.joesplumbing.com/images/picture-4.jpg *Google recently acquired Quest Visual, so the technology is coming! http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/google-has-acquired-quest-visual-the-maker-of-camera-based- translation-app-word-lens/ http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/16/google-has-acquired-quest-visual-the-maker-of-camera-based- translation-app-word-lens/

30. On Page Factor #6: Click-through Rates Just because the website ranks, doesn’t mean you will get traffic. Based on the SERPs layout, the click-through rate (CTR) numbers change based on the ranking position. Source: http://moz.com/blog/google-organic-click-through-rates-in-2014http://moz.com/blog/google-organic-click-through-rates-in-2014

31. On Page Factor #6: Click-through Rates This is why it is critical to have the meta information setup to try and persuade potential customers to click through to your website. If you don’t have them setup correctly, Google reserves the right to determine what they are or change what you have by pulling snippets from the page. Make sure the title tag and the meta description are informative and concise, yet set you apart from the competition. Tip: Use a Keyword Research Tool like the Google Keyword Planner to see what people are searching for. If you are trying to rank for a keyword phrase that isn’t getting any search traffic, there’s nothing to gain! Tip: Make sure to judge the competitiveness of the keyword phrase you are trying to rank for. If it’s heavily swayed towards a Brand, Product, or something else it might be a waste of time. Example: Joe’s Plumbing wants to rank for the keyword phrase “Benjamin Franklin Plumbing”. It would be difficult, because Joe would need to have a page like that on his website, and even if he could rank, 90% of the users would probably go straight to Benjamin Franklin’s website anyway.

32. On Page Factor #7: Dwell Time The amount of time a user spends on the site before bouncing back to the search results is called the dwell time. If a user didn’t find what he or she was looking for and the dwell time is low, that’s an indication to Google and other search engines that the website should probably not be in the list of results, or it should be lowered. If another website’s ranking position is lower, but has a higher dwell time and users are finding what they are looking for, their ranking positions will adjust in the search results over time. Why? It’s Google’s job to return the best results for their users.

33. On Page Factor #7: Dwell Time But wait! How do search engines know this? Search engines create a unique link to a website in the SERPs, so they know how long you spend on the website and if you come back to the search results. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad =rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.millersville.e du%2F&ei=40ZzVLHbJe_GsQSm_4KoAg&usg=AFQjCNHindXueyR9lzDoXspz5Zv 8VGgN-Q&sig2=nZkrBT0l7FhF0P0bYwvJJQ&bvm=bv.80185997,d.cWc

34. On Page Factor #8: Design The purpose of a search engine is to help users find what they are looking for. If website visitors aren’t finding what they are looking for on your website (or can’t easily find it), then that will affect rankings. The purpose of a website is to help users understand more about a product, service, or more information about your company or a certain topic. Despite the fact that a website’s goal and a search engine’s goal are similar, search engines must evaluate millions of websites and narrow the results down to just 10 (in some cases 10-20) on the first page.

35. On Page Factor #8: Design This is why it’s critical the website is designed accordingly, because it matters to both website visitors AND search engines. Many of the aspects have to do with the website’s technology (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash), which has changed over time. Google used to only see a text based version of your website like the Lynx browser. Now, they can accurately parse JavaScript and CSS to understand what your website looks like. Don’t block them from crawling JS/CSS in your robots.txt file. Google still can’t understand Flash, so try to avoid using it. Tip: Install Google Webmaster Tools to get more information about your site and how Google views the site. All you need to do is download a meta tag that goes in the section on your website’s homepage. http://www.google.com/webmastertools http://www.google.com/webmastertools

36. On Page Factor #8: Design At the Conductor C3 SEO conference in NYC in October 2014, data was revealed that mobile searches have overtaken desktop searches for the first time ever in certain markets. That means more people are searching for a specific keyword phrase from their smartphone, iPad, or tablet than on their desktop computer! As a result, you better make sure you are offering a mobile website to that user, or that the site is responsive.

37. On Page Factor #8: Design A responsive website adjusts the layout, text, navigation, and other elements via CSS so that it’s easier for the user to read and interact with the website. Test how your website looks on a variety of phones. If you use Mozilla Firefox, hit Ctrl + Shift + M and you can toggle your website through different browser sizes for common devices. Tip: Install Google Analytics to get more information about your website traffic. All you need to do is install a tracking in the section of every page. http://www.google.com/analyticshttp://www.google.com/analytics Myth: Google does not use this information collected from Google Analytics in their algorithm, but it does allow you to see hundreds of different metrics, including what type of device the person is using to view your website, the operating system, and browser size.

38. On Page Factor #8: Design Help visitors engage with your website! 1.Instead of a just having a “Contact Us” page, include a call to action like a Lead Generation Form that offers “5 Reasons You Need To XYZ!” or “Get a FREE Quote today!” 2.Include social sharing widgets to help website visitors easily promote the site, or share it on their own social networks. The Top 3 Free Widgets: Shareaholic http://www.shareaholic.comhttp://www.shareaholic.com ShareThis http://www.sharethis.comhttp://www.sharethis.com AddThis http://www.addthis.comhttp://www.addthis.com

39. Why should SEO matter to you? There’s a need for this skill set, at both marketing agencies that offer these services and also within marketing departments for small businesses to large enterprises. It’s one vertical you can get into within the Computer Science or Web Design industry. It can be a diversity in your skill set, which offers room for advancement at your place of employment.

40. My Story At EZSolution Graduated from Millersville University in 2007 Started in June 2009 as a Programmer Within 6 months started SEO program Currently 100+ monthly SEO clients You can do anything you want to do!

41. About EZSolution EZSolution offers integrated marketing solutions for small to medium sized businesses throughout USA. Started in 1997 as a web development company. Purchased IT company in 2006. Purchased Marketing company in 2013. Made Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in 2013. Currently 35 employees, including a few Millersville University graduates. Work with a lot of great team members and local businesses!

42. EZSolution Referral Program Make some extra money on the side! As a way of saying “Thank You”, our new referral program offers $100 for any you refer to us whose call results in a scheduled appointment. When your referral becomes a client and spends at least $1,000 for our services, we’ll even give them a $100 Friend Discount.

43. Thank You! / Questions? Matt Boaman SEO Engineer/Programmer Email: matt@ezsolution.commatt@ezsolution.com Website: http://www.ezsolution.comhttp://www.ezsolution.com Phone: (717) 291-4689 LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mboamanhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/mboaman Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mboamanhttp://www.twitter.com/mboaman